Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $784 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Palawan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Palawan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $784 in Palawan.

Mexico City $1,608
Palawan $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,223 in Palawan.

Mexico City $2,549
Palawan $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,661 in Palawan.

Mexico City $3,490
Palawan $1,661

Living in Mexico City is roughly 105% more expensive than in Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Palawan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$3.48 ₱220

205.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$19.38 ₱1,228

149.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$3.31 ₱210

212.69%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$2.52 ₱160

46.43%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.95

$0.78 ₱49.38

114.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$0.39 ₱25.01

225.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$1.31 ₱82.9

143.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$2.15 ₱136

146.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$1.90 ₱120

-9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$1.22 ₱77.1

149.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.00 ₱63.3

94.00%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$2.00 ₱127

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$7.91 ₱501

38.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.35 ₱276

112.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$7.62 ₱483

98.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$2.87 ₱182

6.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.58 ₱100

22.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

$2.62 ₱166

-22.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$1.55 ₱98.4

49.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

$2.24 ₱142

-8.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$2.54 ₱161

-29.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$1.11 ₱70.1

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$0.75 ₱47.76

69.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$2.89 ₱183

83.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$6.95 ₱441

131.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$1.17 ₱73.9

69.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$1.98 ₱126

114.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$0.26 ₱16.34

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$11.46 ₱727

72.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$0.81 ₱51.6

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$0.22 ₱13.93

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$2.08 ₱132

154.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.13 ₱71.9

33.63%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$26.1K ₱1.7M

-16.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

15.67%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$63.0 MX$1,170

$112 ₱7,078

-43.60%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.39 MX$509

$33.36 ₱2,115

-17.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$27.52 ₱1,744

29.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$34.20 ₱2,168

72.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

$4.55 ₱289

419.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.96 ₱378

7.38%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,015

$153 ₱9,715

181.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

$4,354 ₱276.0K

162.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

$46.66 ₱2,957

46.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

$26.57 ₱1,684

99.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

$74.4 ₱4,717

44.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

$54.1 ₱3,430

116.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$263 ₱16.7K

322.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$174 ₱11.0K

307.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$576 ₱36.5K

349.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$390 ₱24.7K

260.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

$2,321 ₱147.1K

56.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

$1,122 ₱71.1K

90.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.67

70.16%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Palawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Palawan

$174 22.2% 75.5% $536

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Palawan

$202 25.8% 36.6% $117

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Palawan

$84 10.7% 57.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Palawan

$91 11.6% 41.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Palawan

$173 22% 36.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Palawan

$46 5.9% 35.7% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 43.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $263 in Palawan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $19 in Palawan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $202 per month, with Palawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

16:11 4:11 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

939,594

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Palawan 14,740 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Palawan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico City vs Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $784 in Palawan, so Palawan is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,176 in Palawan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $263 in Palawan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Palawan runs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $153 in Palawan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $784 in Palawan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palawan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Palawan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Palawan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.